1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a surface conduction electron-emitting device, an electron source using such an electron-emitting device, an image display apparatus, and their manufacturing method.
2. Related Background Art
Hitherto, there has been known an electron-emitting device in which a pair of electroconductors is arranged on a substrate surface at an interval, the substrate surface between the pair of electroconductors has a groove portion, and by applying a predetermined voltage across the electroconductors, an electron is emitted from the electroconductor portion (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-231872).
FIGS. 9A and 9B show a construction of the electron-emitting device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-231872. In the diagrams, reference numeral 101 denotes a substrate; 102 and 103 device electrodes; 104 an electroconductive thin film; 105 a carbon film; 106 a groove portion; and 107 an electron-emitting region. FIG. 9A is a schematic plan view of such a device. FIG. 9B is a schematic cross sectional view taken along the line 9B-9B′ in FIG. 9A.
As a manufacturing method of the electron-emitting device of FIGS. 9A and 9B, the device electrodes 102 and 103 are formed on the substrate 101, the continuous electroconductive thin film 104 is formed so as to connect the device electrodes 102 and 103, thereafter, a gap is formed by applying a forming voltage across the device electrodes 102 and 103 (forming step), and the carbon films 105 containing carbon and/or a carbon compound as a main component are further deposited on the electroconductive thin films 104 of the both electrode sides (activating step). At this time, in the substrate 101 under the gap formed in the electroconductive thin film 104, the groove portion 106 in which a material of the substrate is altered by the heat of the activation is formed.